Sink your teeth into the cult classic that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. Fear sweeps the countryside as people fall victim to a strange illness. After a peculiar accident, beautiful Mircalla becomes a ward at Laura's family home. Soon, friendship blooms between the mysterious Mircalla and curious Laura. Love is in the air, but so is something deadly. Will Mircalla's secret cost Laura her life? Carmilla , first published in 1872, is one of the first vampire novels ever written, predating Dracula by 26 years. Carmilla , with its themes of vampirism and homosexuality, shocked the standards and stereotypes for women set in the Victorian era. Today, Carmilla is considered the original archetype of female and LGBTQ vampires and Le Fanu's influence is seen throughout vampire fiction.